Basketball, Antonello Riva has no doubts about the candidates for the Scudetto

For Antonello Riva, it will be a three-way fight

Antonello Riva was one of the greatest champions in the history of Italian basketball: he still holds the record for points scored in the Serie A championship and in the national team, with which he won gold at the 1983 European Championships. In the interview that came out in “Quotidiano Nazionale,” he commented on contemporary Italian basketball.

The Italian basketball legend spoke, “The transition from 30 to 24 seconds has changed the game a lot, now it is difficult to see elaborate plays that lead to complex solutions. You always start from a pick’n’roll, sometimes it’s a bit monotonous. The current unbalancing of the game on the 3-point shot, on the other hand, would have enhanced my shooting even more. D’Antoni already said this when he coached me in Milan, it would bring great advantages to those who would use it a lot.”

Then a thought on who will win the title: “Milan is strong and deep, has experience and knows how to handle the double commitment with the Euroleague. I’m curious to see how Virtus Bologna will adjust, because it’s like playing two championships. Then I like the renewal of Venice. The fight for the title will be limited to these three.”

Inevitable, then a comment on the Azzurri’s Europeans: “We have to convince ourselves that that is our level. One free throw more or less changes little. Close to the very first ones we are there. Maybe we are one oriundo away from an even better result (he says laughing, ed.). It’s also true that we haven’t reached the semifinals in 20 years, we can still grow. A 10-year project should be structured in which to broaden the base. Italian coaches are good, but more human material is needed.”

“First and foremost the facilities, while in Berlin 15 years ago they built a fantastic one with lots of indoor activities, in Rome as an executive we were struggling to find space for a food truck outside the arena. We are years behind. Then you have to go in and do activities in schools, penetrate the fabric of the city, bring basketball to children, put a ball in their hands,” Riva concluded.